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Friday, September 25, 2015

Figs!

I have six fig trees/bushes of different varieties planted along the south side of our barn. Originally it was eight varieties, but two of them weren't able to handle our winters and they died. The remaining six have done well. Three years ago, I had enough fruit to eat my fill AND to make a couple batches of jam.

Our past two winters have been much colder than average. All of these unprotected figs were frozen and killed clear to the ground. This spring, I almost ripped them out. It's too frustrating to alot this much space and emotional energy to a crop that's so frustrating. I had a change of heart in early summer, when I saw that each of the figs started to show new growth ... and they ended up growing tall and beautiful. I didn't hold out much hope for any fruit production on those immature branches, though. Imagine my surprise the other day, when I went to work on the roses back there and I found these on one of the bushes.

Six ripe figs!! (The eagle eyes among you have already noticed that there are only five figs in the picture. I was chewing the sixth one when I realized that I should snap a pic to document the event.) There are a few more figs that will probably be ripe in a few days, if the groundhogs don't find them first.

12 comments:

The best performer of the six has no tag and I don't remember what it is. The other one that came back well is Green Ischia. Two that came back moderately are Brunswick and Chicago Hardy. The others have lost their tags. I remember buying Black Mission and Celeste, but I don't know if the survivors are either of them or not. The last two of the eight, whether alive or dead, are a mystery.

I figure it this way ... so many figs without specific names are passed along as cuttings, especially in the Italian and Portuguese families, it doesn't matter that mine have lost their identities. I have rooted and shared my best plants the same way.

Our 1 lonely tree (started from a friend's offshoot) died off during the winter also. Delighted to see new growth in the spring, which shot up during the summer, and we also got some figs. Isn't nature grand? Yummy, so glad your trees came back.

I'm thinking that I may go to the effort to wrap and protect the plants this winter. I have a friend in Pennsylvania who does this and he has better above-ground survival as a result. I should check out the Fig Forum on GardenWeb to see what others in my/our zone recommend.

Figs are one of those things that one has to see to believe. The fruit sprouts directly from the stem of mature branches, instead of on a fruit spur like apples and the like. The leaves are huge and prehistoric looking, and the plant itself is beautiful and huge.

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My name is Connie, and I started Hartwood Roses ... an educational rose garden in Virginia that specializes in rare and unusual antique roses. I know a lot about roses, old houses, carpentry and remodeling, and am an expert day dreamer. You will often find me working in the garden, planning a home project, building something, or hanging out in a cemetery ...all of this has come in handy as my husband and I restore our historic home (built in 1848) renovate the outbuildings, and design the gardens. This blog allows me share whatever is happening in the garden, around the house, or on my mind.

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